It’s finally time for hometown dates!! This long awaited episode rivals the Final Rose Ceremony episode in anticipation.
We get to see if the girls families approve of Peter’s relationship with them and how they react to seeing their family for the first time
Hannah Ann
Hannah Ann got the first hometown date! The pair meet up in Hannah Ann’s hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Instead of taking the emotional and dramatic date route, Hannah Ann opts for a fun one!
She takes Peter axe-throwing, as an homage to her father who is in the lumber business. They are both hilarious bad at it, but Hannah Ann does happen to nail a bull’s-eye. After the date winds down, Peter decides to show Hannah Ann a list of reasons he is falling for her, which is a callback to when Hannah Ann did the same for him on one of their previous one-on-one dates.
Now, the time has come for Peter to meet her family.
As is typical for a hometown, everyone starts crying as soon as they see Hannah Ann. Tears are flowing so hard that you would think Hannah Ann is returning from war, even though she has been gone for a max of two months.
Hannah Ann’s dad, along with every dad in Bachelor history, expresses his concern about how Peter is dating other women the same time as his daughter. Which is, like, the whole point of the show.
The rest of the night seemingly goes off without a hitch, with more tears and a heartfelt moment between Hannah Ann and her sister.
During Peter’s farewell, he admits he is falling for Hannah Ann and asks her to stay that she loves him over and over again in a rather steamy send off.
It’s Kelsey’s turn!
Coming in at second in line for hometown dates is Kelsey! Kelsey takes Peter to Des Moines, Iowa.
Kelsey chooses to make their own wine, the two stomping on some grapes.
After the messy part, the pair make their own wine in a winery, which c’mon, Kelsey, didn’t you get accused of being an alcoholic? The Devil works hard, but the Bachelor producers work harder. They name the red wine blend they created after themselves, which is extremely original.
Kelsey and Peters evening with her parents go well, no major drama happening. Kelsey even drops the “I love you,” which goes uncomfortably reciprocated by Peter telling her he appreciates it.
As most families are, Kelsey’s parents are worried about Kelsey getting her heartbroken by Peter. During a conversation with her step-dad Mike, she confides in him about how getting her heart broken is her biggest fear–while on the other hand, she tells her sisters she would say yes if Peter proposed. Kelsey’s mother, Beth, warns Peter not to break Kelsey’s heart.
Time for Madison’s date!
War eagle! Madison takes Peter to her hometown turn college town of Auburn, Alabama. She has very strong ties to Auburn, as her dad works in the basketball department.
The two take things to the court to shoot a few hoops. They seemingly have the entire stadium to themselves until a surprise visit from Auburn University’s men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl! He takes them through some drills, and Madison is hilariously better than Peter.
After some more alone time, the two are headed to Madison’s house to meet the family.
Something that has been hinted at in previous episodes takes the center plot point once Madison reconnects with her family: Madison is saving herself for marriage. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise to us, as she has been mentioning her faith more and more during the season.
Madison’s mother asks her in an emotional moment if Madison has told Peter this, which she admits that she has not. During this same time, Peter is having a conversation with Madison’s dad about, guess who, his daughter.
Peter confesses to Madison’s dad, Chad that he is definitely falling in love with Madison. This can almost be seen as a super sweet moment between Chad and Peter, until Chad responds with asking Peter if he is sure that Madison is really “the one,” to which Peter can’t answer. This clearly makes them both feel uncomfortable.
Last but not least, Victoria F.!
If you haven’t noticed, all of the hometown dates have gone off without a hitch, just the usual conversations between the contestants and their family and ones with Peter.
They saved the best for last.
Victoria’s hometown date starts out innocent enough with the two connecting in Virginia Beach. They stroll on the beach, with Victoria’s dog and all seems well.
They take this chance to re-do their live concert date with a performance by Hunter Hayes, who Victoria has NOT dated. This makes it a little easier for the pair to have a good time, both happily singing along to “I Want Crazy.” (Foreshadowing much?)
After the two say their goodbyes to get ready for the meeting the family portion, Peter spots one of his exes who just happens to be there and just happens to also be completely mic’d up.
Turns out she knows Victoria and has come on the show to warn Peter about who she really is! She explains that Victoria is known to have broken up multiple relationships and warns him to be careful.
Once Peter gets to Victoria’s house, he is clearly upset about the conversation he had with his ex and wants to talk to Victoria about it before meeting her family. The two take a seat on the front steps, and the drama begins.
Things go down hill very fast, with Victoria quickly turning the blame onto Peter and talks about how there is always drama. She even lets it slip that she doesn’t want to do this anymore and “just, like, can’t!” Very typical for Victoria.
She runs off into the night, yelling at camera crew to leave her alone. Peter has to take time to himself to get his thoughts together. At this point, Peter doesn’t even go inside to meet her family. He gets into a black SUV and they go their separate ways.
After all the drama of their hometown date and everything that has happened prior in the season, Victoria F. is bound to go home at the Rose Ceremony, right?
The Rose Ceremony
The next day, Victoria goes to Peter’s hotel room to clear the air between them. Peter says he’s not ready to give up on this just yet but worries that they may not have what it takes to make this work, ignoring the million red flags Victoria F. has waved in his face.
It’s time for the Rose Ceremony.
Hannah Ann and Madison obviously get a rose, leaving the final rose to be given between Kelsey and Victoria F. It’s no secret that most people are rooting for Kelsey, seeming as Victoria F. said herself she doesn’t want to do this anymore.
But, the Bachelor being the Bachelor, Peter gives the final rose to Victoria F., leaving Kelsey to be sent home.
This comes as a huge shock to those watching and to Kelsey herself. Peter walks Kelsey out, and they say goodbye.
So that’s the end of the episode right? Wrong!
We are left on a cliffhanger, as Madison asks to speak with Peter after the Rose Ceremony, supposedly to talk about her faith and how she’s saving herself for marriage.
After all, fantasy suite week is next!
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